More families ready to sue over hospital care

1:50pm Tuesday 20th December 2011 in News

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MORE angry families are expected to take legal action against hospital bosses over the “abominable care” of their loved ones.

former nurse Eileen White says her family was devastated by the poor standard of care her husband Colin received before his death from liver failure aged 73 at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch on October 19, 2009.

now her family wants to join the class action being taken against Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust which already involves at least 23 families and widows of patients.

The case has been taken on by law firm Leigh Day & Co and the company intends to argue that care was so bad it breached the human rights of families.

however, Worcester MP Robin Walker defended the trust and said improvements had been made since the damning report by health and social care watchdog the Care Quality Commission was published in May.

The report raised “major concerns” about hydration and nutrition on wards five and 11 at the Alex, which was one of only two hospitals nationwide where such serious problems were identified.

Mrs White, aged 73, of Aldridge, said: “We were told steps were taken to make sure this didn’t happen again but nothing changed.

“The care my husband received was abominable.

“They kept saying he wouldn’t eat.

“Although he was a desperately ill man, he wasn’t an idiot.

“He said they just ram it in your mouth.

“My son’s last words to the nurses were ‘Get my father off this ward’.

“It’s bad enough to lose a parent or partner or husband but worse to know they’re dying without the care they deserve.

“I used to be a ward manager and I would have been ashamed if I had been the sister on that ward.”

his daughter, Kim White, 49, of Tewkesbury, who works in Vale Wildlife Hospital & Rehabilitation Centre in Beckford, near Tewkesbury, said: “The animals here are treated with more care and dignity than my dad was. We want to join this class action.”

Mr Walker said: “I think any accusations of poor treatment have to be taken very seriously but I do think that, from what I have seen, the acute trust has reacted quite quickly and very seriously to the problems that were identified at the Alexandra Hospital.

“Certainly, an enormous amount of effort has been put in to make sure those mistakes are not repeated and patients get better care in future.

“It’s always a shame when people have to resort to legal action.

“If there are costs to the NHS that doesn’t help the vast majority of people who use its services.”

Helen Blanchard, director of nursing and midwifery, said: “We actively encourage patient feedback and where there is any indication that patient care falls below the high standards we expect all our staff to deliver, we will take immediate action to address this.”

six wards under lockdown

SIX wards at the Alexandra Hospital remain under lockdown because of a violent winter diarrhoea and vomiting bug.

The Redditch hospital has been forced to close all or part of at least six wards because of the highly contagious norovirus outbreaks.

No cases have yet been reported at Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester which is also managed by Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.

The most recent figures published by the Health Protection Agency show there were five suspected or confirmed outbreaks of norovirus in Worcestershire in the two weeks up to December 11.

each outbreak could potentially contain a number of individuals who have contracted the bug so many more people are likely to be affected than the number of outbreaks recorded. The outbreaks are not just at the Alexandra but across the community and could be in schools and care homes.

Rebecca Bourne, head of communications at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said the number of beds affected by the closures was changing all the time.

“We are grateful to members of the public who have heeded advice to avoid coming to the hospital if they have experienced any vomiting or diarrhoea symptoms in the last 48 hours,” she said.

The trust’s website asks people to only visit the hospital if absolutely necessary. Visitors suffering symptoms such as diarrhoea and/or vomiting should stay at home and seek advice from their GP or NHS Direct.

I have spent the past two years interviewing hundreds of seniors and researching how they treat and deal with their pain, diseases and other health and mobility problems, and how they can use water treatments in their own homes in order to significantly improve their health and quality of life. I have looked into the goal safety guidelines, such as Americans with Disabilities Act, to learn what properties and equipment can bring this miraculous resource to each senior. WHY? Since I now know that the medical Hydro Therapy ™ is the home for regular use, will address the main causes of many diseases shorten lives and pain. Regular use of Medical Hydrotherapy ™ will greatly enhance digestion? absorption of nutrients? hydration? detoxification and virtually every aspect of better health of people!

We all know that water is essential to life. the vast majority of our bodies is water. you may not be a doctor, but you certainly know how to use water for pain relief for sore muscles, to ice strains, and as a method of stress reduction. Treatment may be in the form of a hot soak, a cold shower, and everything between.

Recently there has been a dramatic swing in medical theory and a much needed insight into the “healing”. the best way to prevent, treat and in many cases cure illness is to give our body the right tools and let it go to work. with regular use of Medical Hydrotherapy ™ and the intake of fresh water, the right minerals and nutrients the body can overcome almost anything.

Recent studies have confirmed that many of the medications our society has become dependent on, primarily antibiotics and pain relievers, often do more harm than good. Antibiotics can be extremely harmful to the liver and has an adverse effect on our natural immune system. the more often we turn to synthetic medicines to overcome infections, the weaker our natural defenses become and the more likely we are to have repeated cases of infection. an increased intake of water and the proper immune increase the nutrients in combination with a little patience and common sense are by far the best defense against most infections. Allowing our body to overcome minor infections with fever, fluids and rest increases our natural resistance and makes us less susceptible to these intruders in the future. truly the best offense is a good “defense”.

What is Medical Hydrotherapy ™?

In its simplest form can Hydrotherapy be described as treatment of disease and injury through the use of water. this includes the use of both hot and cold, and various uses. Hydrotherapy treatments help your body to get rid of toxins that can cause joint pain and inflammation, help relax muscles and reduce pressure on joints and bones. It relaxes you as well, both mentally and physically.

Hydrotherapy has been around for thousands of years. Ancient bathhouse was the center of social interaction in ancient Rome, and hydrotherapy spas are still popular in Europe, where many were built large mansions and estates for 18 and 19 centuries.

Used to treat common ailments like muscle cramps, muscle weakness, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, osteoarthritis, backache, muscle, bone and connective tissue damage tissue, balance disorders, and stress and stress-related illnesses, is hydrotherapy is quickly becoming a popular and beneficial home health care , especially among seniors.

Hydrotherapy makes you healthier in two ways:

Thermal Effects: Hot and cold baths both creates certain reactions in the body tissues that help relieve pain and discomfort and improve healing process.

Warm baths open up your capillaries (small blood vessels in the body that is closest to the tissues) which leads to increased blood flow and circulation, helping your body oxygenate and heal tissue better and get rid of toxins faster. Heat also slows down your internal organs, and is good at reducing certain types of aches and pains. Heat increases the production of beneficial body hormones and stimulates the immune system. Warm, moist air from a hot bath can help open up congested or constricted airways in the lungs, throat and sinuses.

Mechanical effects: a mild tingling sensation of air bubbles and massage-like motion of water jets create beneficial chemical reactions in the skin and tissues. this leads to increased circulation, which helps oxygenate the tissues and evacuate toxins. In water, your body weighs only 10% of their normal weight, so there is a large amount of physical stress off your joints and bones and helps to relive pain and discomfort. this partial weightlessness also helps relax the body, because muscles do not have to work so hard to keep your body in position and get a chance to relax.

To treat common ailments with HYDROTHERAPY

The four most popular types of ailments people use hydrotherapy to treat are: arthritis, lower back pain, insomnia and diabetes.

Benefits of Hydrotherapy for Arthritis

One in six Americans has some type of arthritis. It is a fairly common disorder that affects our joints, and it usually progresses as we age. Generally leads to swell and become painful and sometimes difficult to move, especially after heavy or moderate exertion. As a general rule, the older we get, the more pronounced symptoms.

Doctors recommend warm hydrotherapy to treat arthritis. It helps by expanding the blood vessels in the body, which in turn alleviates pain and facilitates the tension in surrounding muscles, which usually become tense as a result of the pain. It has been shown that hot water treatment is much more effective than dry heat treatments, such as heating pads.

In some cases, doctors recommend alternating hot and cold treatments, particularly for the treatment of hands and feet. the repeated dilation of the arteries generally has a more profound effect on the reduction of pain in these areas.

Benefits of Hydrotherapy Lumbar Pain

Behind colds and flu, back pain is # 2 reason for physician visits in the United States. Back pain can be caused by several things, including stiff or sore muscles, diseases, disorders or injuries of bones and connective tissue, and pinched nerves. Studies conducted over the past decade have shown that people who suffer from back pain and who use hydrotherapy as a treatment experience marked reduction in pain compared with those who are not using hydrotherapy. In addition, people who treat their back pain with hydrotherapy use fewer drugs to control their pain, so they do not experience any of the adverse side effects associated with some of these drugs.

All the thermal and mechanical benefits of hydrotherapy going to work against different types of back pain. Depending on the type of back pain you have, you can experience a complete eradication of pain after starting a hydrotherapy treatment and you may notice a reduction in pain instead. Anyway, do hydrotherapy living with back pain more comfortable and providing a relaxing outlet for relief.

Benefits of Hydrotherapy for Insomnia

Almost all people suffer from insomnia – or the inability to fall asleep – at some point in their lives. for some people insomnia can be a very serious problem, depriving their bodies of needed rest and making them feel irritable and depressed, and makes them more prone to illness. Warm baths have been shown to improve both your ability to fall asleep and the quality of your sleep, and as such, hydrotherapy is one of the most popular home remedies for insomnia and sleeplessness.

Insomnia is usually caused by having too much blood in the brain. Hot baths dilate blood vessels in the body and increases blood flow to the outer areas and the limbs, drawing blood away from the brain. a lower body temperature has also been shown to help you achieve a deeper sleep. Soaking in a hot tub at 104 degrees Fahrenheit two hours before bedtime will both lower the body temperature and draw blood from the brain, priming you for restful sleep. Enjoying the benefits of stress reduction of air and water jet massages will further relax you and make sleeping even easier.

Benefits of Hydrotherapy for Diabetes

Hydrotherapy has proven useful for patients with type 2 diabetes. In a study published in 1999 by the New England Journal of Medicine, people with type 2 diabetes, soaked in hot tubs for 30 minutes a day, six days a week. Doctors noticed that these patients were easier to control their weight and plasma glucose. some patients required smaller doses of insulin as a consequence. Patients who did not exercise reported even more benefits, as hydrotherapy helped increase blood flow to their skeletal muscles.

Benefits of Hydrotherapy on Body

Hydrotherapy can alleviate the symptoms of common diseases found in the trunk as chest congestion, bronchitis and asthma. It can also relieve the symptoms of other breast diseases such as angina. Soak your body in warm water helps increase blood flow to the heart and lungs and other internal organs, helps tone muscles, reduce the size of varicose veins, ease nervousness and headaches, and help relieve irritated vocal cords. moreover, it may reduce pain associated with diseases affecting the abdomen and pelvis areas cramps, hemorrhoids, kidney disorders, intestinal disorders, gall bladder disorders, liver diseases and other systemic problems that cause internal pain.

Arms and legs benefit from increased sales, could so cold hands and feet can be relieved by hydrotherapy. Headaches, migraines, dizziness, rheumatism in the limbs, low blood pressure and nerve disorders of the limbs also notice improvement with hydrotherapy.

Essentials Hydrotherapy Treatments

Too much heat or cold can be bad for you, so it is important that you consult your physician before starting hydrotherapy treatments to be sure that the treatment is right for you. when you and your doctor have agreed on a treatment, be sure to monitor your progress and report any problems with your doctor. this allows your doctor to make the necessary adjustments to your treatment and protect your health and safety. George E. Bentley, Esq. is a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist, and known nationally as “Consumer’s Advocate and Attorney.” He is the leading expert on the walk-in bathtub, ADA guidelines and independent living in the USA, and author of “the Ultimate Guide to Walk-in bathtub.” He founded the Bentley Bad – the amazing Walk-in bathtub company to help retirees and their families learn about walk-in baths and disabled technology. He is proud to be an authorized dealer, factory trained or knowledgeable about virtually any product on the market. He will gladly answer your questions FREE and will is honored to help you through your training and walk-in bathtub decision. They can be reached via email at or phone 800-688-0055. the company’s website is BentleyBaths.com.

Tags: insomnia, sleep disorders, natural insomia cure

I'm in the process of being tested for Crohn's and was wondering if anyone had any expierence with Crohn's and eyelid swelling

Eyelid swelling isn't generally a symptom of Crohn's Disease. but please mention it to your physician when you visit

Below is some information, questions and answers on this topic:

health.ivillage.com/autoimmune/au…

hi there,
swelled eyelids are common with ppl who have an auto immune disease, no and its not aids I'm talking about…. I myself have what is known as purpera check that one out @ arthritis.com… if U have purpera please answer back … what that means is that U have dark circles around the eyes … also eyes that swell can be caused by water retention ppl with Crohn's or colitis need hydration and less salt their diet watch for dairy also oops back 2 question research Crohns on line from a reputable source =)
Tc, north (hugs)

Being an auto-immune condition Crohn's disease can cause some extraintestinal symptoms like eye inflammation, skin problems, mouth ulcers, even some neurological complications.

These secondary symptoms can vary quite widely among individuals.

Prednisone has made one of my eyelids extremely droopier than the other. thank goodness I wear glasses. ;___;